Chapter 9

"Engineer, engineer! Oh, Uncle Karl, it's you? Go, turn on all the sentry guns! What, only half of them work? Then turn on the ones that do, and place them all in front of the city wall! Sergeant Ruel, you and your men help out!"

The elderly supply engineer Karl and his assistant Ruel went off, utterly confused.

"Ina, Ina, why are you making them all climb to the very top? And stand so close! Are you lining them up for execution? Crossfire! Don't you understand crossfire? Sergeant Mark, take your men to the outer wall with all your machine guns! And Sergeant Baka, get out of the city! Yes, dig a trench outside the city! I don't care what you think; I care what I think! If you don't go, I will!"

Yu Lian was furious, almost speechless at the world where technology had taken a wrong turn. In his previous life, he had already complained many times, but back then, he was just a lone ranger with little insight, and his active years were decades later. In that era, various tactics, after being reformed and revised by famous generals born in the great era, had become much more normal.

But now it was still 829, and the great era was still a few years away.

The bearish sergeant, who was very gentle with his own people but brutal to the enemy, had no objections and led a few strong soldiers out with tools. Although everyone's tactics were primitive, the handheld engineering machinery had a very sci-fi appearance and performance, and it was quick to dig a trench.

"Ina, go to that wide-angle sentry gun. You don't need to command the ones on the city wall!"

"What about the monitors? The communication devices? They still can't be used?"

"Uh, they've had a bit of a malfunction since yesterday, I..."

"Nine Star Communications, right? That broken company can't even make personal terminals without them exploding, and they still managed to get a military contract? Tsk, I wish you'd go bankrupt and your whole family would jump off a building! What are you standing there for? Go fix it! If you can't, I'll hang you on the flagpole to generate power!"

"Y-Yes, understood!" The communications soldier was terrified and ran off, sweating profusely.

"Yoyo, Yoyo!"

"Ah, yes, Sergeant, no, sir, I'm here!"

"Where's my steak?!"

The sergeant magically pulled out a frying pan from behind him and ran over.

Yu Lian noticed that the sergeant was still wearing an apron and, without minding the heat, snatched the beef, scolding, "Get out! Put on your armor, then come back to help!"

Everyone could feel Yu Lian's agitation; everyone knew that Yu Lian was a Lunar, a promising 'elite of elites' with a bright future; and everyone probably already knew that Yu Lian was a psionic sensitive. So, no matter how much they cursed in their hearts, no one dared to disobey. Didn't they see that Lieutenant Mendersen, the official commander of the supply station, didn't say anything? Although his face clearly said, "See, see, he's a Lunar, and as a Lunar, if he doesn't arrogantly seize the nominal commander's authority, it would be strange," he was still smiling.

In fact, the lieutenant was about to say something. Seeing Yu Lian wolf down the steak in a few bites, with many blood threads on the rare steak, he shuddered and then approached, whispering, "Sergeant, aren't you a bit... uh... that, this..."

Yu Lian swallowed the half-raw steak in a few big bites—he was really hungry—and said, "Overreacting? Nervous? Paranoia?"

"Uh, actually, that's not what I meant. Of course, it's good to keep everyone on edge, like a readiness drill."

"Sir, I've already said, this all looks like a bio-weapon test! Even if it's just my paranoia, we can't afford to take the risk!"

"But, this..."

"Let's treat it as an emergency readiness drill! Oh, right, let's bring out the armored vehicles from the garage!"

"Uh, the power packs, this..."

"Take them to the battery station by the city gate, right? I need the two Vulcan cannons on the roof! Baka and his men digging the trench outside the city are the most in danger, and we might need the armored vehicles to protect them!"

The lieutenant hesitated but finally nodded heavily. He didn't feel threatened by being sidelined, after all, for a 'Lunar,' this small supply station was just a transition, and once Yu Lian left, he would still be in charge.

Compared to that, he was more curious about Yu Lian's defense layout. Why place forces on both walls? Why dig a trench at the city gate? Why not have everyone line up on the highest inner wall, which would allow them to shoot farther?

Additionally, why were all the machine guns placed at the ends of the walls and trenches, rather than in the center, which would have a greater killing range?

Supply Station 12 was built against a mountain, backed by a solid rock wall, and faced a gentle slope leading to the vast, barren plains below. The front had two high walls, both made of reinforced concrete. The outer wall was five meters high, and the inner wall was eight meters high. Between the two walls were the garage, guard room, and a basketball court-sized training ground. Behind the inner wall were the main buildings of the supply station, including the barracks, warehouse, medical room, radar room, and command room.

There were six quad-barreled ground-to-air sentry guns on both walls, but only half, or three, were operational.

It was said that a few years ago, they had a Typhoon missile vehicle, but it was withdrawn by the governor's office due to cost issues. The reason given was very straightforward—“Who are you going to shoot with missiles? The sand natives? Can they fly?”

Additionally, the supply station had a fire support squad with two phase particle cannons, but they were also withdrawn by the governor's office due to cost issues. The reason given was even simpler—“High-tech energy weapons that require highly educated personnel to operate are a waste in your hands! Besides, who are you going to shoot with them? The sand natives again? Their houses are made of mud!”

Of course, even so, the terrain and defenses of the supply station were as solid as a fortress... by medieval standards.

If the attacking enemy had heavy firepower, no, even equal firepower, there would be no way to run. Yu Lian thought.

However, at least from the 'history' he knew, the bugs (currently) did not have heavy firepower. He hoped that the butterfly effect of his rebirth wouldn't change such a significant fact.

"So, what's the purpose of this layout?" the lieutenant finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.

"This is the layout that can maximize firepower. You just need to think about it with high school geometry."

The lieutenant, who had slept through elementary and high school and barely managed to get into a mediocre sports school, felt a million points of damage and sulked, not wanting to speak. But he soon thought that, as a superior, he should say something to a subordinate half his age, so he nodded stiffly and said, "Hmm, makes sense! I thought about it, and this firepower configuration is indeed foolproof. Alright, Sergeant, let's treat it as a new tactical training drill! I support you."

I hope it's just a drill too! Yu Lian looked at him helplessly.

The standoff between the two major factions, the discovery of the stargate, and the development of the new galaxy, the Andromeda system, seemed to usher the entire galaxy into the best era of progress.

However, no one knew if the new warships and weapons, the vast armies, and the psionic warriors roaming the galaxy were truly suitable for a full-scale war. Even fleet battles in space had devolved into bow-to-bow engagements, dogfights, and boarding actions. How could ground battles be any different?

Both sides, wearing power armor, would form skirmish lines around their heavy firepower units, shooting at each other while advancing, and then close in to fight with machetes.

Yeah, yeah! Before he was transported, whether it was Star Wars, manga, or even powerful silicon-based intelligent mechanical life forms from beyond the galaxy, they all fought like this. It seemed that in the space age, this was the only way to meet everyone's aesthetic standards!

Thus, what should have been outdated 20th-century trench warfare tactics, such as crossfire and sloping fire, were still considered new in the space age...

Theoretically, two heavy machine guns in crossfire could block a 500-meter front. Moreover, Yu Lian not only had heavy machine guns but also three cannons that could destroy armored vehicles, and he had arranged the firepower on a sloping terrain. Theoretically, if the enemy was still zerglings, hydralisks, or zealots, Yu Lian was confident he could lead everyone to hold out, even until the Turon Port was done.

However, this idea was also outdated.

Although the technology and warfare of all known civilizations in the universe had taken a wrong turn, they at least understood that the battlefield was never flat. Many civilizations, even in the cold weapon era on their home planets, knew how to use the sky.

The bugs, of course, would too!

"Sergeant! There's a target approaching from the sky!" Ina's voice came from the highest sentry gun tower.

Yu Lian looked at the distant sky, but under the blazing sun, he couldn't see clearly. On the barren plain, he could only vaguely see dust on the horizon. However, he still firmly believed in Ina's judgment. Compared to the radar and detectors produced by the Twelve Star Communications Company, the eyesight of a future interstellar top sniper was more trustworthy, even if she hadn't yet awakened or even realized she was a sensitive.

"Prepare for battle!" Yu Lian naturally took command, issuing orders to everyone, and then said, "Get me a suit of armor."

The so-called "armor" was, of course, power armor. Yu Lian remembered there were still seven or eight spare sets in the armory. If the batteries for these were also sold, Yu Lian decided to shoot the lieutenant's dog head right now! Then he would report that the lieutenant was taken away by a husky.

Fortunately, the lieutenant said the spare power armors were still intact but added, "However, Sergeant, your spine is broken. You can only move now because of the nanobots, and you can't operate the power armor."

"Then take all the power armors out and give them to everyone who can wear them! As many as possible!"

"Power armor belongs to the governor's office, and we don't have the authority to mobilize them. Moreover, most people here don't have licenses, and if they get hurt, the report will be hard to write!"

Yu Lian grabbed a rifle from a passing soldier and viciously loaded a magazine.

Lieutenant Mendersen shuddered and smiled, "I'll go, I'll go!" and fled.

Yu Lian resisted the urge to shoot him in the butt and then grabbed the bewildered private whose rifle he had taken, saying, "Come with me to the wall, you'll be my loader!"